Musical medicine

Local surgeons use music to ease tension, help with concentration

Music in the operating room is as common as a scalpel, and although
the patient might not be able to hear it, the surgeon and his staff
can, and many say it helps ease the tension.

"It helps relax people," said Dr. Mitchell Dye, a general surgeon at
Corpus Christi Medical Center-Doctors Regional. "For the most part I'm
focused on the surgery, but the music complements what's going on."

Local licensed professional counselor Anthony Montez of Trinity
Counseling says that music playing in the background works as white
noise and can have a calming effect on doctors performing surgery.

"Music is soothing," Montez said. "They have to be alert and
attentive, and the music relaxes them enough to be able to perform
well."

The type of music surgeons tune into is as diverse as the people
they see on their operating tables.

"Country, jazz or instrumental," said Dr. Bernhardt Rothschild, an
obstetrics-gynecology surgeon at Christus Spohn Hospital South. "The
music is whatever my assistant likes, but we have to be able to
understand it, not like some of the current music that you can't
understand."

Sometimes, it's a fast beat that helps keep the nurses and doctors
energized or even a slow rhythm, said Driscoll Children's Hospital's
Dr. Eric H. Hubli, a plastic surgeon trained in craniofacial
surgery.

"I generally listen to classical or something upbeat," Hubli said.
"I like to keep a positive atmosphere, that's important for everybody.
When it gets really intensive, you might want slower music, or you
might want to turn it off. One of the benefits of the surgeon is you
get to call the tune."

But no matter what, every surgeon agreed; the patient and his or her
health always comes before the choice of station.

"When I'm operating, there's nothing else in the world other than
what's going on there and then," Hubli said. "It's not people dancing
in the operating room. The music is definitely a mood setter; a
background noise but nothing more."

Whether there's music or silence, each person reacts differently to
the noise around them, Montez said.

"Some people are real specific about the music that calms them, like
classical, but (for) someone else, classical might put them on edge,"
Montez said. "It really is a matter of taste and personality."

Not only is music key in the OR, but surgeons also stress the
importance of preparation to relieve their anxiety.

"The key to my relaxation is preparation," said Rothschild, who will
consult a patient several times before the actual surgery. "Knowledge
is the antidote to fear."

For Hubli, it's about pre-visualization, which helps him with facial
reconstructions.

"It's not enough to say I put it back together," Hubli said. "I try
to ensure I'm paying attention to the symmetry, shape and personality
of the patient."

Dye said the best method of easing his mind isn't the music, but
making sure the patient and his or her family know what's going on.

"Most of the time before the surgery, I like to have a conversation
with the patient," Dye said. "It helps lower the stress level of
everybody to have a friendly conversation."